MOSCOW: Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam winner, is retiring from professional tennis at the age of 32, she wrote in Vanity Fair.
“In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. I’ll miss it every day,” she wrote.
Her decision is hardly a major surprise as she has struggled with injuries and poor form since returning from a 15-month drugs ban in 2017, the result of testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.
The former world number has played only two matches this year, losing in the first round of the Australian Open, with her ranking sliding to 373.
“Looking back now, I realise that tennis has been my mountain. My path has been filled with valleys and detours, but the views from its peak were incredible,” she said.
“After 28 years and five Grand Slam titles, though, I’m ready to scale another mountain, to compete on a different type of terrain.”
Russia’s Tennis Federation had no immediate comment.